Because She Was Pretty
by Eyes-of-Pearl
Summary: Multiple drabbles. She was known for her beauty, so Susan continue to do what people thought she did best. Continue with Edmund's POV as he tries to understand Susan's feelings. Finally, Peter's POV who thinks that Susan has changed too much, but has she?
1. Because She was Pretty

**Because She was Pretty**

_by: Eyes-of-Pearl_

**Disclaimer**: Chronicles of Narnia belong to its respective owners.

**Rating**: K

**Author's Note and Synopsis:** A drabble. She was known for her beauty, so Susan continue to do what people thought she did best, even when she was out of Narnia.

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**Because She was Pretty**

As a warrior, her skills with the bow and arrows were without equal, but here in Narnia, she was called the gentle, renowned only by her physical attributes. All these princes, dukes, kings and other royalties of distant lands sought for her hand. They came with riches and gold, garments and exotic plants, hoping to secure a marriage proposal with her. Such acts were so superficial. How many thought to know her heart?

Then again, with her siblings being magnificent, just and valiant as they were, all she had to do was sit upon the thrones of Cair Paravel and exude the grace and beauty as one of Queens of Narnia.

And so, when she was denied re-entrance into this world, she continued to do what people thought she did best. She looked pretty - by fashioning herself with the latest trends. She attended social events simply to put on pleasant smiles and charming blushes. All the attendants showered her with attention and complimented her appearances.

However, how many knew that in the deepest chasms of her heart that she missed the unchartered lands of far-reaching forests and the glistening beaches? How many realized that beyond the pretty face was a queen who would readily take up arms to defend a place that now only existed for her once upon a time...

AN: How was that? Please let me know in your comments.


	2. Because She was a Child No More

**Because She was a Child No More**

_by: Eyes-of-Pearl_

**Disclaimer**: Chronicles of Narnia belong to its respective owners.

**Rating**: K

**Author's Note and Synopsis:** Some of you may recognize this. This was originally posted under a separate fic with the same title. However, after revisions and some corrections, I have decided to just repost this as a second chapter to my original story, "Because She was Pretty." There are too many parallels anyways and because of the similarities in titles, I think it would be more appropriate by combining the two under a single fic. Please, if you read the last version of 'Because She was a Child No More,' there are slight changes with a different tone set for the ending.

In addition, this can be viewed as a companion story to "Mirror Illusions," but you don't have to read that to understand this. Written from Edmund's perspective, he tries to understand Susan's feelings after leaving Narnia and came to the conclusion that when you are considered grown up, you are not supposed to make-believe. Susan-Edmund sibling fic.

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**Because She was a Child No More**

When you were young, it was perfectly acceptable to pass a lazy afternoon with only your toy figures and little bit of imagination. For when you are a child, it was ok to believe in St. Nicholas just because you got exactly what you asked for on Christmas day. Words like the tooth-fairy and Easter bunnies never sound ridiculous when spoken by a child. But, when you were considered a 'grown-up' by social norms, such imaginations were frowned upon and ridiculed as being frivolous.

Before Narnia, he had been an awkward child, never quite fit in with other boys his age. Then, the war began, taking his father away. It left him with his three other siblings and his mother in their London home.

Peter, being the oldest, had fulfilled the fatherly role. He was always the defender, carrying with him the aura of majesty. Courageous against adversity, leadership became him. As the second youngest, Edmund knew that he did not make Peter's tasks any easier. Still, Peter was fiercely loyal even through the greatest of obstacles.

Lucy, his youngest sister with her toothy smile, personified eternal innocence and optimism. She was a child at heart. It was little wonder why she was the first out of the Penvensie children to step through the magical wardrobe into Narnia. To her, it was a place that was as real as her right hand. Even after her return, her faith never waned.

Lucy's outward behaviour was a stark contrast with his other sister, Susan. He had little in common with her. He always thought that she was too nagging about what to do and not to do. For her, there must be a logical explanation to everything, black and white. She acknowledged the differentials of gray, but could not understand it.

When he returned to the "true" Narnia with Peter and Lucy, he would often find himself reminiscing. He didn't have many fond childhood memories. However, he learned to treasure the precious few that he had. When he and Lucy were still young enough to beg for bedtime stories, it was Susan who would concede to their pleas. Sometimes, she would read from a large volume of text, but the best were the one that she made up. He suspected that Peter also enjoyed those tales that filled their heads with picturesque images of distant lands and fantastic creatures.

As the years passed, the stories became less. Susan was old enough to take on more responsibilities. She helped mother with the chores, taking care of the 'children' - him and Lucy, going to school, keeping up with her studies. When the war came, it was up to her to provide the emotional support where mother could not. She soothed hurts and tender hearts, held their hands and offered kisses upon foreheads as if they would solve all problems. If Peter was the defender, the epitome of strength, then Susan was the protector, the nurturer, and the gentle.

That was how Narnians viewed the elder Daughter of Eve. Queen Susan had became a mother-like figure to them all, from fellow monarchs, to mermaids, fauns to drolls, centaurs to beavers. She naturally took on her responsibilities and was loved and respected for her maturity and grace. In a way, even though she was grown up, she was still able to live her own fantasies, like the way she used to tell it in her own make-believe.

Everything changed, when Susan was told by Aslan that she couldn't return. She was growing up. It had been so easy for Susan to just write off everything. She didn't want to hear about their days in Narnia, stories that he and Lucy would recall and retell nearly after night at bedtime. It was time to grow up, she told them, Peter included.

Upon retrospect, Edmund would say that his initial reaction was anger until he realized that Susan could never go back to being just a child like him and Lucy. It was only ok for children to use their imaginations and make-believe about a Golden Age, of kings and queens fighting in glorious battles. However, reality was what she saw in the mirror, a woman in a world that deemed her as being 'old enough' to socialize with other adults. At the same time, she had obligations to help take care of everyone and everything, while maintaining her appearances.

But, there were odds times that he caught her unawares. She would allow herself indulge in a moment of fantasy, to laugh for the sake of laughing not to smile to please others. Sometimes, he would catch her looking outside with wistfulness and longing and then for no apparent reason giggle liked a young school girl. More rarely, she would tell him stories. Once, when he came down with a nasty cold and was bedridden during for a week, she had tended to him. Combing strands of hair away from his fevered brow, she leaned close and whispered.

Her voice was comforting as she began to weave the intricate elements of what turned out to be an epic. Edmund would later wonder if Susan herself knew that she was telling the story of a gentle queen whose skills with a bow and arrow was renowned in a place called Narnia.

AN: So, how was that? Please r/r.


	3. For She Will Always be Narnia’s Queen

**For She Will Always be Narnia's Queen**

_by: Eyes-of-Pearl_

**Disclaimer**: Chronicles of Narnia belong to its respective owners.

**Rating**: K

**Author's Note and Synopsis:** Another companion story to "Because She was Pretty," and "Because She was a Child No More." Along with my other drabble, "Mirror Illusions," they draw on the same theme, that is, to understand Susan's feelings after leaving Narnia. You may also find that some of the wording and phrases are similar - sorry if that gets too redundant

Peter thinks that Susan has changed too much after leaving Narnia, but has she?

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**For She Will Always be Narnia's Queen**

As etiquette dictated, he was always first to be announced at every court session and social setting. After taking his appointed place as the High King of Narnia, his eyes would stray back to the very doors that he had just passed through. The rest of the people waited in halted breaths; some journeyed many leagues for this single moment alone.

Queen Susan the Gentle, her reputation preceded her. Dignitaries sought for her hand solely on the basis of her beauty. The people were never disappointed as the queen smiled prettily back at them. Their hearts were lifted by her mere presence.

Like the others, he also came to expect to see her, with her crowned head held high. Stepping through the atrium into the throne room, she seemed to glide through its grand doors, before brushing faintly against the giant tapestries. It became more than just etiquette, but rather an expectation. Expectation eventually became part of a routine.

When he and Susan were barred from Narnia, he was disappointed at her quick dismissal. She was in fierce denial, refusing to acknowledge the existence of a magical wardrobe. Instead from her bedroom, she emerged, dressed in America's finest. A small smile graced her rose-coloured lips. She stood with her back erect and her hair styled, waiting at the top of the stairs for the door bell to ring.

Briefly, he had a flash of Queen Susan putting the final touches on her wine-coloured gown and matching ruby necklace. She fussed until she was presented to a group of expecting courtiers. She never failed to display her charm.

He shook his head and blinked away the image. He watched as she passed through the oak doors of their London home into the arms of an adoring socialite. Suddenly, he realized that the remnants of the former queen was still there. Her beauty never tarnished; her presence still drew crowds. 'How typical,' he thought. There was little doubt that someday Queen Susan would once again stepped through the splendid halls of Cair Paravel to greet her denizens with a graceful sweep of her hand. For it was said, "Once a Queen of Narnia, always a queen."

AN: So, how was that? Please r/r.


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